The Professional Footballers' Association yesterday insisted any exemption of Manchester United from the FA Cup could prove "very damaging" to the 127-year-old competition.

United are weighing up an offer from the English FA to be omitted from next year's FA Cup as they compete in the inaugural World Team Championship in Brazil in January 2000.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side will face competition from around the globe, including the champions of every continent, in an eight-team tournament but the United manager is worried about the fixture backlog which would result from their participation.

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor believes the ideal solution to the problem would have been a "bye" into a later round - it would have to be the fifth round to avoid a clash.

Taylor said United's exemption would be "very damaging to the status of the FA Cup, the world's premier knock-out cup competition".

He added: "I would have thought we could think about allowing any team that won the European Champions League to be seeded to enter the FA Cup at a later stage.

"We can see no reason why there shouldn't be a new rule to give a club a bye into a later round in the FA Cup in these circumstances.

"Manchester United should enter the (World Team) tournament for the prestige it would bring English football."

The Independent Manchester United Supporters Association joined Taylor's criticism of the possible exemption.

IMUSA chairman Andy Walsh said it was a shoddy act by the FA, who were willing to do anything to host the 2006 World Cup.

"The club has been put in an unfair position. This is not Manchester United saying they do not want to play in the FA Cup. This is the FA willing to sacrifice the oldest domestic cup competition in the world at the high altar of TV revenues," said Walsh.

"What happens if (FIFA president) Sepp Blatter decides in 12 months' time that the championship should be extended to three to four weeks - are the FA going to say sacrifice the Premier League as well?

"As football fans we want to go to all the games, but if this tournament goes ahead very few will go," added Walsh.

But British sports minister Tony Banks and FA Cup sponsors AXA Assurance have supported the FA's offer.

Both believe that a one-off exemption could be a minor loss if United's participation helps England secure the rights to host the 2006 World Cup.